Search on for two youths swept away in Veligonda feeder canal

A search operation is continuing for a second day for two young men who were swept away by the strong current of the feeder canal of the newly-inaugurated Poola Subbaiah Veligonda Project near Dornala in Markapuram district.

The missing persons have been identified as Kuppala Raj Kumar (23) and his cousin Kuppala Vinay Kumar (23), both residents of Katakanipalle village in Dornala mandal. Police said the two entered the canal around noon on Saturday to wash their legs when they slipped into the deep waters. Local residents alerted authorities about an hour later.

District Superintendent of Police V. Harshavardhan Raju said 16 expert swimmers from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) were deployed and continued searching across Nallamala Sagar until Sunday evening. The operation has been challenging because water from the feeder canal spreads into water bodies of surrounding villages. The search was paused after sunset due to poor visibility and resumed on Monday morning.

Water Resources Minister Nimmala Ramanaidu spoke to the District Collector and SP about the incident and directed officials to intensify efforts to locate the youths. He cautioned people against entering the canal, noting that rapidly flowing water and uneven terrain around Nallamala Sagar make it difficult to judge depth. He also instructed police and Revenue officials to arrange special security measures in the area.

In a related incident last week, a vehicle carrying four people who had gone to see Krishna river water being released through the project tunnels was washed away by a stream near Kalanuthala village in Peddaraveedu mandal. One person escaped, while three others were rescued from a tree with the help of police and Revenue officials.